They say that the early bird gets the reward. That was certainly the case for eight Palm Beach Atlantic freshmen who were accepted in their junior year of high school.

“I cannot express how much being accepted to Palm Beach Atlantic University my junior year reduced my stress level for the rest of high school,” said Tyler Ascenzi, a freshman at PBA.

Ascenzi, along with Jennifer Coe, Evan Berlanti, Bryah Hagen, Brian Daniel Lee, Hannah Menendez, Skye Sherman and Britta Smythe comprise PBA’s fall 2012 Early Action Junior Program class -- students who made an early commitment to attend the University.

“The Early Action Junior Program allows students to apply during their junior year of high school,” said Bethany Donth, senior admissions counselor at PBA who worked with the students. “Our first Early Action class knew early on God was calling them to PBA.”

According to Donth, the program is unique in that students will commit to attend PBA the summer before their senior year, making them the first committed students each year.

“I decided to apply to the Early Action program because after coming to an open house, then touring several other colleges, I knew PBA was where I wanted to go,” said Hagen, an accounting major minoring in communications, from Lake Wales, Fla.

To qualify, students must submit an online application, essay, transcripts and a character recommendation by March 31 of their junior year. A phone interview is also a part of the process. Required standardized test scores are a 1250 on the SAT (without the writing section) and/or a 28 on the ACT and a 3.5 GPA.

Students accepted into the program receive a $3,000 merit scholarship; books paid for their first semester; priority housing, registration and honors review; a parking garage decal for their first semester; and even an iPad.

“The incentives are awesome, of course,” said Sherman of Leesburg, Fla. “They really help make the transition to college more enjoyable.”

“Who doesn’t like scholarships or iPads?” Menendez, an English major form Ocala, Fla., added.

Early Action students were presented their iPads during a luncheon with PBA President William M.B. Fleming, Jr. Oct. 2.
“I felt honored to be invited to a luncheon with President Fleming as the first Early Action freshman group at PBA,” said Ascenzi, a business major from Pennsville, N.J.

Donth believes the fall 2012 Early Action class set a precedent of excellence being the first class admitted into the program, sharing a common bond of achieving high academic standards and living a life engaged in community.

“This class began a tradition of engaging in the PBA community early, some of them even representing PBA at a college fair during their senior year of high school,” said Donth. “Palm Beach Atlantic University is an engaged, Christian community and Early Action students exemplify our values of excellence in academics, spiritual enrichment and service.”